Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Zhao Kai went straight to his compatriot brother Zhao Shu's house and found that the place had changed drastically.

The few thatched huts that were originally sloppy were surrounded by low rammed earth walls. The thatched house has also been renovated with rammed earth, and there is even a special firewood house and livestock house. The area of ​​​​the house has doubled from a few months ago.

Seeing Zhao Kai coming, Zhao Shu and his wife and concubines were very enthusiastic and quickly invited him to sit down and drink tea.

The two brothers chatted for a few words, but Zhao Kai felt a little embarrassed. He believes that collecting debts hurts his face and is not in line with his identity.

But there was really not much money left, so Zhao Kai couldn't help but said: "Fifth brother, when can you pay back the money I lent you?"

Zhao Shu immediately began to cry for poverty and pointed to the newly built courtyard and said: "Third brother, my family has just built a house, how can I still have money to pay you back? Look at this huge courtyard, I borrowed money from everywhere to build it." "

"Is the Yu family doing well?" Zhao Kai reminded.

Zhao Shu's first wife was Ren Ergu, and he also had two concubines named Yu Yingzhu and Yu Fangzi.

The two Yus are sisters and come from merchant families. At the beginning, the Yu family used money and entrusted connections to marry their two daughters to Zhao Shu one after another, and relied on the royal connections to make the business more prosperous.

Although the Yu family now has no backer, it is still relatively wealthy, and the court no longer strictly restricts the former royal family. Zhao Shu immediately ran to the Yu family to find his father-in-law to fight against the autumn wind.

Zhao Shu even became the second shopkeeper of a shop in the Yu family.

Zhao Shu continued to cry about poverty: "I still owe dozens of dollars to my father-in-law's family. How can I have the nerve to borrow money from the Yu family again?"

Zhao Kai pointed at the farmyard and frowned: "This is the countryside. The place is very remote. It doesn't take dozens of dollars to build a house, right?"

Zhao Shu immediately changed the focus and complained: "You didn't raise my twenty-third brother, but now he still lives in my house. He needs a lot of money to study, and he has to find a matchmaker to find a match. I have to bear all the expenses." …”

"Didn't the twenty-third brother go to the bookstore as an apprentice?" Zhao Kai interrupted.

Zhao Shu said: "You can't delay your studies even if you are an apprentice. Maybe the imperial court will allow him to take the imperial examination in the future."

Zhao Kai fell into silence. He knew that his brother was telling lies, but he couldn't expose it for his own sake.

As for the twenty-third brothers, they are the same brothers of the two of them. Before, she had been raised by her biological mother, Concubine Wang. This year she finally turned fifteen and could no longer hang out with women, so she turned to live in Zhao Shu's home.

After saying a few more words, Zhao Kai turned and left.

He can't save face for his brothers, so he goes to find his half-brothers, so that he can speak better when pressing for debts.

The sixth brother, Zhao Qi, is the most honest. You can let the sixth brother pay back the money first!

Zhao Qi's house has also been renovated and expanded, but it still looks very shabby.

The two brothers chatted for a while, and as soon as Zhao Kai asked to pay back the money, his younger brother and sister Tian Jingshu appeared instantly: "Master, don't you want to be an agricultural officer? Why don't you go to the agricultural department to persuade the agriculture department to help today?"

"Ah?" Zhao Qi had a question mark on his head.

Tian Jingshu grimaced and stared at her husband.

Zhao Qi didn't dare to say anything more, so he stood up quickly and said: "Go now, go now, third brother, you sit down first!"

This guy ran so fast, not because he was afraid of paying off his debt, but because he was afraid of annoying his wife. The couple almost got divorced this year.

"Sixth brother..." As soon as Zhao Kai shouted, Zhao Qi had already rushed out of the door and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Tian Jingshu asked with a smile: "What did brother just say?"

Zhao Kai said: "I've been a little tight lately. The money I borrowed before..."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

Tian Jingshu was still laughing just now, but she started crying in the blink of an eye: "Although I am not from a famous family, my ancestors have been generals of the imperial army for generations. I am sorry for my eldest brother, who followed Tong Guan in the Liao Dynasty and his life and death are unknown. I am sorry for my father, Prince Zhu was killed by the mob when he entered the city. Robbery, and was trampled to death by the mob at home. Poor my second brother, because he was related to the royal family of the previous dynasty, even if he wanted to work as a shop patrol in the new dynasty, he was not welcomed by the government. Poor my uncle... wuwuwu, slave. Life is so miserable, my Tian family has been implicated by your Zhao family, I'm afraid we will have to suffer from poverty for the rest of our lives!"

Zhao Kai was so distressed by his sister-in-law's crying that he could only say, "If you don't have enough money, you can pay it back after a while."

Tian Jingshu changed from crying to sobbing, her face full of pear blossoms: "Brother, do you want to stay at my house for dinner? I don't have much fuel at home, so I'm going to get two ounces and come back. Brother is a particular person, and I must not be used to eating without fuel. Meals…”

"No, no, I still have something important to do." Zhao Kai stood up quickly, not daring to say anything more.

My concubine, Ma Wudie, led the child out, looked at Zhao Kai's back and said, "My sister has some ideas."

Tian Jingshu glanced at the concubine and scolded: "The head of our house has no ability. He can't write poems or paint. He is still stupid and honest. He only knows how to cultivate the fields like the farmer. You are also a singer, besides playing the piano and singing. No way. If I didn’t act bad, I don’t know how my family would be bullied!"

Ma Wudie looked down at the ground and blamed herself: "How about...how about I go to the city and find a living among those tiles?"

"you dare!"

Tian Jingshu angrily rebuked: "Although my family has been a military officer for generations, my great-uncle has also been a Jinshi. He comes from a pure poetry and calligraphy family! The head of the family is also a nobleman from the previous dynasty. How can I allow you to do those shameful things? Remember this. , you are not allowed to play the piano or sing at home, you just spend time spinning and weaving, raising chickens and ducks. When I am not free, you have to teach your children to read!"

"Yes, I have remembered it!" Ma Wudie hurriedly bowed down to be taught.

When the concubine returned to the kitchen to prepare chicken food, Tian Jingshu sat alone in front of the house in a daze, feeling grievances welling up in her heart and crying silently.

Her husband was the most stupid and honest among Song Huizong's sons.

The imperial court relaxed its supervision of the royal family, and the other brothers were showing off their talents, but Zhao Qi was still farming the land stupidly and had completely turned into a farmer.

Tian Jingshu was angry that she didn't fight, and saw that her husband was doing well in farming, so she forced her husband to become a farmer adviser.

Regarding this kind of thing, Zhao Qi was timid, afraid and lacked confidence. Tian Jingshu relied on her mischief to get divorced, and finally forced her husband to write a letter to the emperor, applying for transfer to the Agriculture Department as an apprentice.

Fortunately, the emperor was kind and agreed to the matter.

But for the time being, he is not an official agricultural officer. Zhao Qi is only allowed to work as a handyman in the agricultural department, waiting to take the recruitment examination for the agricultural department.

…

Zhao Kai escaped from his sixth brother's home in embarrassment, stood in the fields and began to think seriously.

Compatriot brothers can't ask for debts, and those whose families are in need can't ask for debts, so go to the homes of the eighth, eleventh, and eighteenth brothers.

The sisters of their three brothers are now the crown prince's concubines.

Even the eighteenth brother, who has just grown up, received an ox this year. Three brothers and three oxen. Usually, the prince's concubine secretly helps him.

Zhao Kai made up his mind and walked quickly to his eighth brother's house.

Before they had gone far, they saw three younger brothers holding sticks and cursing at the door of the seventh brother's house.

"What's going on?" Zhao Kai asked curiously.

When Zhao Kai saw Zhao Kai, the eighth eldest brother, he immediately said angrily: "I happened to be looking for the third brother. The Luo family turned their backs on each other and regretted the marriage of the eighteenth brother. We three brothers are going to make a fuss. The seventh brother won't Out of brotherly love, I asked him to follow me to support the scene but refused. The eldest brother has gone to Shandong, where the third brother is the oldest, and I asked the third brother to call all the brothers."

"What are you calling for?" Zhao Kai asked.

Zhao Mo, the eleventh elder, said: "Of course we brothers should work together to seek justice for the eighteenth brother and let the Luo family fulfill their engagement and marry their daughter!"

Zhao Kai didn't want to cause trouble, so he advised: "It's just an engagement from the previous dynasty. Anyway, the marriage hasn't been consummated yet, so why not just forget it and find another marriage for my eighteenth brother."

The eighteenth-year-old Zhao Zhen said angrily: "Why should I let it go? The Luo family has promised me their daughter, and all the three gifts and six betrothal gifts have been given, and now they are regretting the marriage. Where will I put my face in the future?"

Zhao Kai tried to persuade him: "I heard that there are two officials in the Luo family who are in the new dynasty. It is better to do less than to do more."

"So what if his family has two sons who are officials? I also have two sisters who are the crown prince's concubines!" Zhao Mo roared.

At this time, Zhao Kai had completely forgotten that he was here to collect debts. He was usually free and cheerful and loved to talk big words, but in his heart he was extremely afraid of the Ming Dynasty. He was afraid that his brothers would cause some trouble, so he tried hard to persuade: "Listen It is said that the second mother-in-law of the Luo family is extremely ugly, so I, the third brother, will make the decision to find a more beautiful one for the eighteenth brother."

Zhao Zhen said angrily: "Third brother, don't try to trick me. I have secretly met Ergu Luo a long time ago. Not only is she not ugly, she is also a great beauty."

"Uh..." Zhao Kai was speechless.

The three brothers went to the next door and knocked on the door again, trying to drag the twelfth-year-old Zhao Zhi to support the scene.

Soon, Zhao Zhi's wife Yan Shan opened the courtyard door, timidly performed the Wanfu ceremony and said: "My husband is sick, but he dare not go out to enjoy the breeze."

Zhao Chu sneered sarcastically: "What a coincidence that this disease comes!"

"He's also eggless." Zhao Mo scolded him directly.

Zhao Kai had given up on collecting debts. While the three brothers were talking to Yan Shan, he tiptoed back, intending to run to the city to escape first.

Zhao Zhen rushed after him and grabbed Zhao Kai's arm: "Why did the third brother leave?"

"I...I have something urgent at home." Zhao Kai said in panic.

Zhao Yan asked: "If there is something urgent, our brothers can help you handle it!"

Zhao Kai sighed helplessly: "Oh, it's not too urgent."

Zhao Kai was dragged by his three younger brothers and ran from house to house knocking on doors. He even went to several houses, but no one was willing to help.

Zhao Yan suddenly said: "Ninth brother is good at shooting and has great martial arts. It's enough to have him here."

"Yes, let's go find Ninth Brother!" Zhao Kai agreed. He wanted to get a few more people to support him.

Zhao Gou is much smarter than Zhao Kai. He is also good at calligraphy and painting, but he only creates one piece per month, and the price of his works has surpassed that of Zhao Kai.

Not only does this guy have some martial arts skills, he is also quite proficient in Cuju, and he often hangs out with football clubs like Yuanshe.

Occasionally he went to literary gatherings and wrote poems praising the Ming Dynasty every now and then. He was also quite popular among the Tokyo scholars.

The four brothers came to Zhao Gou's house, but Zhao Jiu was indeed not there. They ran to the Cuju court of Yuanshe and caught Zhao Gou playing football.

"Brothers, what are you doing?" Zhao Gou asked confusedly.

Zhao Kai grabbed Zhao Gou's wrist: "The eighteenth brother was regretted by the Luo family, and the ninth brother should go together to seek justice!"

"This... this is not good." Zhao Gou didn't want to get involved in such nonsense.

Brothers Zhao Chu and Zhao Mo held Zhao Gou on the left and right sides and forcibly dragged him to Luo's house.

Those guys from the football club, seeing that there was a lot of excitement to watch, followed them swarm to the Luo family, shouting and announcing along the way: "The Luo family regrets their marriage and deposed the king before the marriage. Everyone, come and see!"